Parchment
by Satori
Summary: Remus J. Lupin loves Sirius Black'. COMPLETE chaptered story full of fluff and funny characters, I hope. Please review.
1. A Note

**Author's Note:** Hey all! Another chaptered story. I swear this one's done already, I just need to finish typing it up. Sorry it's so short, I promise the other chapters'll be longer. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Meager plotlines belong to me.

* * *

'Remus J. Lupin loves Sirius Black'. And just like that, it is really really real. Writing, Remus decides, is more powerful than thought, though not so much as speech. And since there is no way Remus would ever say those five words (plus the initial) aloud, he must be content with writing them, an action which is perhaps more fraught with peril than spoken words, since those are only heard by one person. Writing can be passed around, read, and laughed at, by everyone. So, weighing the two, Remus is not quite sure which is really the better choice. But since he's already written the five forbidden words (and the one forbidden initial), he might as well continue in that vein. Although now that he has written them, he has nothing left to say. 

So, to give himself time to think, Remus dips his quill in the inkwell and glances around him at the empty common room. It is around two in the morning on a Sunday night and the usual festivities ended about an hour before. The house elves have not yet arrived, so the large, circular common room is a mess, streamers and empty bottles of butterbeer clutter the floor while a large banner with a lion on it—which only stopped roaring when someone put an excellent Silencing Charm on it—hangs determinedly above the portrait hole. Remus is alone, curled up in a chair very close to the fire, which still blazes merrily.

The words stare at him from the parchment he has written them on, glistening with ink and burning themselves onto his eyes, transcribing themselves into his mind, and branding themselves upon his heart. He tears his eyes away, uncomfortable, ill at ease, and embarrassed, then shoves the paper into his bag and hauls it upstairs.


	2. A Tea Party

**Disclaimer:** Characters aren't mine.

* * *

The next morning he is late for breakfast and, as a result, Remus not only goes hungry, but he is also almost late for Charms. The corridor of the Charms classroom comes into view and Remus runs down it—then skids to a halt as he hears a loud ripping noise, and the contents of his bag scatter across the hallway, quills clattering and skittering, sheaves of parchment fluttering, and books thudding to the ground. With a quiet, very mild oath, Remus kneels and tries to gather his things. Professor Flitwick is going to kill him, he decides, if the tiny teacher can get off his pile of books without falling. He also decides that he really really really hates cloth bags. 

Finally, everything is back in the bag—whole again thanks to a Repairing Charm. Remus scrambles back to his feet as a Slytherin prefect enters the hallway and stalks toward him with a self-satisfied smirk on his snaky face.

"Well, well, a Gryffindor not in class? That'll be, let's see…twenty points from Gryffindor." He says as Remus gapes at him. "Now run along, wee Gryffindork, before I give you a detention too."

Remus does so, running into the classroom as fast as his 'wee Gryffindork' legs can carry him. Inside the classroom, he receives a shocked but mild reprimand from Flitwick and a round of applause from Sirius and James. The class resumes practicing their Shielding Charms and Remus pulls out his wand in a state of shock. In one day he's managed to do more unRemus-like things than he's ever done in the last four and a half years:

1. He was late

2. He lost points (twenty!)

3. He almost got a detention

4. He was reprimanded by a teacher

He is about to punish himself by taking a leaf out of the house elves' book when Sirius and James ambush him, each swinging an arm around his sholders.

Sirius wipes an imaginary tear from his eye. "Today, Moony, mate o' mine, I'm so proud of you I could just kiss you!"

"Er." Stutters Remus, red faced.

"Believe you me, mate," Sirius is telling James, "When I met this little blighter—" he ruffles Remus's hair, "—I never imagined him to be such a rebel! Late for class, the lad is—can you imagine? And then—no that's not all, my dear," he sips from an imaginary teacup and James gasps—they are the perfect image of mothers speaking fondly of troublemaking children. "And then, a reprimand by a teacher. Unbelievable, my dear. His father and I were ever so shocked!" Sirius keeps his face serious, but his eyes glint with laughter.

"Oh yes, I can imagine! You poor dear!" James twitters sympathetically, the two boys glance at each other for a moment, and then collapse into roaring bouts of laughter. Remus watches them, embarrassed, and then joins in. Professor Flitwick gives them a pained look and the three boys pick themselves up off the floor and resume practice. James goes first, putting up a shield while Sirius bombards him with curses and hexes and Remus times it. They rotate, Sirius shields himself, Remus hexes, and James times. After another fifteen minutes, they switch again, then go record their times with the professor. James and Sirius get in a little tussle over who really had the longest time, which results in an exasperated detention each, a look of disdain from Lily Evans, and Sirius as the victor. It doesn't bother them that Remus and Lily beat them both by a good five minutes; they're used to it.

Class ends a few minutes later and the three Marauders head for their next class, soon to be joined by Peter, who takes Remedial Charms during that period. James bounds ahead to "talk" to Lily—although Remus has never seen a form of talking that involves so much strutting and purposeful hair messing, or cold replies, come to that. Students press all around them; Peter gives a cry and is lost. Sirius and Remus exchange a look and then shake their heads. There is no going back for him now, so they press onward through the hordes of hurrying pupils. Sirius, being bigger, links arms with Remus and pushes forward, allowing the werewolf to pass in his wake. Now that the two other boys are gone, the tone of the conversations around them changes. Whispers are exchanged from behind hands, and some third year Hufflepuffs that Remus remembers as being the co-founders of the Sirius Black Fanclub: Hogwarts Division A, give him dirty looks. There is a sinking feeling in Remus's stomach, but he's not sure quiet why. They reach their Transfiguration room seconds before Professor McGonagall arrives to let them in.


	3. A Confrontation

**Author's Note:** Another quickly uploaded chapter! Sorry some of you thought that was the end, no it's not. There's still one more chapter and an epilogue.

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine.

* * *

It is dinner. Remus seats himself next to Sirius and across from James and Peter. More whispers ensue and one girl at the end of the Gryffindor table bursts into tears. James rolls his eyes but Sirius frowns. 

"D'you get the feeling we're missing something important?" Sirius glances around and instantly all the craned heads snap back to their places. Once again, Remus gets a feeling of foreboding, but he ignores it, and instead listens as his two friends recount the Charms incident to Peter, complete with accents and imaginary teacups. At the end of their recitation, Peter and two other fifth-years are rolling on the floor, crying tears of mirth, and Remus is embarrassed all over again.

Dinner ends and Sirius and Remus leave early; Sirius needs help with his Potions essay. They are halfway to Gryffindor Tower when someone calls out.

"Black! Lupin!"

Both boys turn. Remus's heart falls to his feet; it's the Slytherin prefect with two friends.

Sirius's eyes narrow. "Rodolphus."

The lead Slytherin smiles thinly. "Sirius. How are things as a goody-two shoes bloodtraitor?"

Remus feels rather than sees Sirius's anger build. "Si—"

"Silence, Lupin." The Slytherin doesn't even spare him a glance.

"What do you want, Lestrange? Don't waste my time with your pureblood shit. I don't give a bloody flying fuck."

Lestrange's eyes glitter coldly and he smirks. "You know, just last Christmas, your mother was telling us—Malfoys, Blacks, Lestranges, the lot of us, the loyal ones—all about you. Didn't seem too happy either. I wonder how she would react to this—" Lestrange fixes his malevolent gaze on Remus, who shivers, "—new tidbit of news."

Sirius takes a step forward, hands clenched. "What are you talking about?"

The Slytherin laughs delightedly. "Oh it's no use lying to me. I've got written evidence. But, honestly, Sirius," he continues in a friendly tone. "No matter how pretty this one is, I expected a bit more…shall we say expensive taste." His eyes run over Remus appraisingly and he shakes his head. "I can't entirely blame you, but you could at least have picked a pureblood toy."

Remus stares at Lestrange for a moment, ignoring Sirius's looks of bewilderment, then begins frantically searching his bag.

"Looking for this?" Lestrange holds up a scrap of parchment, which Remus recognizes as his own. "Oh yes, I picked this up this morning when your bag ripped. It's been passed around school rather thoroughly, I must say. Why, Sirius, you look confused. Shall I read it to you?"

Remus cries out, hand flung out as if to stop the words. "No! Please, don't read it!"

Sirius looks at him. "Moon, what is it?"

Lestrange smirks. "There, you see Lupin, my soon-to-be cousin wants to know. I daresay I ought to indulge him, don't you?" He snaps the parchment briskly and clears his throat. "A rather simple message, really. 'Remus J. Lupin loves Sirius Black.' How touching."

Remus turns to run, unable to face Sirius and see the horror on his face, but Lestrange's two friends grab him by the arms, their grips bruising. With a snarl, Remus twists free of them and breaks into a run. No one follows. The password for Gryffindor Tower is gone from his mind and there's no one around, so Remus runs to the next safest place he can think of; the library. The stacks of old books comfort him without passing judgment. He finds a secluded alcove near the books about telephones in the Muggle Studies section and sits at a table. Someone has left some texts on the table, and Remus opens one at random. Within three minutes, he is asleep, cheek pillowed on the open book before him.


	4. A Lesson on Inertia

**Author's Note: **So this is the real end of the story. I know, no kissing or anything. Which is why I wrote the epilogue. It's got some kissing and funnyness, I hope. But it's okay to end here too. Not that I think anyone will ; )

**Disclaimer:** Character's are not mine. None of them. At all.

Madame Pince wakes him the next morning with a quiet scolding, but no detention or points lost. It is early, about six, so Remus has time to get up to his room to change before breakfast and classes. The portrait hole swings open sullenly and Remus steps into the common room, grateful for the warmth inside the Tower in comparison to the chilly stone corridors of the rest of the school, and relieved to see that no one is awake—or at least downstairs—yet. However, as soon as he opens the dormitory door, Remus becomes aware that someone is not asleep. Nevertheless, the werewolf creeps into the room.

Someone sits up suddenly. "M-moony?" It is Sirius.

Remus closes his eyes against the fresh wave of anxiety, fear, and sorrow, for surely he's ruined their friendship now, with his stupidity. He ignores Sirius, not ready yet to pretend that nothing ever happened, and makes his way to his bed and opens his trunk. As he pulls out a fresh shirt, Remus hears the slide of sheets as someone—Remus doesn't need to guess who—climbs out of bed and pads over. The werewolf does not turn around, but pulls off his jumper and unbuttons his shirt. Sirius seems to be waiting for him to face him, but he doesn't. Instead, Remus shrugs out of his shirt and is about to put on the clean one when hands grab his shoulders. At the sensation, all the breath leaves Remus's body and he shivers.

"Remus. Why won't you look at me? Why won't you talk to me?"

Because, Remus wants to say, because I'm afraid that if I look at you, I'll kiss you. And if I talk to you, I'll say 'I love you'. And after I say it once, I won't be able to stop.

"Rem. Please." Sirius's voice cracks; it sounds a bit like what Remus's heart is doing. "Please, just turn around."

So he does, eyes shut tight so he can't do anything Wrong. He's getting goose pimples on his arms and chest from the cold air on his skin, but he doesn't move, just in case his heart takes over after his muscles start moving and make him kiss or hug Sirius. Inertia, or something like that.

Sirius sighs—it sounds a bit like a sob, but Remus ignores that—and then his warm hands move from the werewolf's shoulders—Remus also ignores how he feels without his hands there—and are used to cup his face. Remus's eyes fly open in shock. This is a Big Mistake, because as soon as he sees Sirius, he can't look away.

There are tears on his cheeks—apparently Remus was right, Sirius has been crying—and he looks to hurt, like someone just tore out his heart and stomped on it. Remus finds he can sympathize.

"Rem, I'm so sorry…"

Remus blinks. Why is Sirius apologizing? He is startled into speaking. "Wh-what?"

"I said I'm sorry, if I did something stupid—I mean, besides the obvious." Remus looks at Sirius, puzzled. "I know I should have come after you, when you ran away." Remus tries to break free, so he can look away, but Sirius holds fast. "Just listen to me. I was going to, but I had to beat up Lestrange and those other two bastards first. They…I can't explain it. They just made me so mad, the way they treated you. The look on your face when they read the…you know. I just wanted to…I dunno. It made me crazy. And then, I was halfway through thrashing Lestrange—I already knocked the other two out—when McGonagall found me and I got an immediate detention. I only got out an hour ago, and I was going to go find you, only I didn't know where you were, and I know I'm just making excuses, and if you want to ignore me now, I won't blame you, because I know I deserve it. Only I just wanted you to hear why I couldn't follow you and make it alright."

"A-alright?" Remus is crying now too, silently, hope, love, and fear warring in his heart. He looks up at Sirius, not allowing himself to interpret those words.

Sirius makes an anguished sound at the back of his throat. He takes a deep breath, and then pulls Remus to him, hugging him tightly. They fit together so perfectly, like glove to hand. Remus freezes in Sirius's arms, not breathing, as if he might exhale away this dream. Sirius turns him around so the werewolf's back is pressed to his chest.

With a sigh, Remus rests his head against the junction of Sirius's shoulder and neck. Sirius twists a strand of moonlight-frosted golden hair around one finger and, wrapping his arms around Remus, whispers,

"Sirius Black loves Remus J. Lupin too."


	5. An Epilogue

**Author's Note: **So this is the epilogue bit. Snogging and all. Have fun, and review! Oh yes, the word 'cunthead' is not in my regular vocabulary. I took it from 'Fairy Boys' by Thieving Gypsy. Go read it.

**Disclaimer:** Characters ain't mine.

* * *

Remus bites his lip to keep his face from splitting in two from grinning. "Really?" He twists around to look at Sirius. 

"Really really. I want to be there for you, Moony. To wipe away your tears—" he does so tenderly. "—To make you laugh, to hold you, just like this. And…" Sirius looks mischievous. "To kiss you." He holds Remus's chin and lifts it, kissing him gently. The werewolf twists back around lithely without breaking the kiss, and his hands spasm against Sirius's chest. The kiss ends as Sirius starts trailing others down to Remus's jaw and down his bared throat. The two boys tumble onto Remus's bed and the werewolf arches against Sirius's chest, making mewling noises as his new lover licks the spot on his neck where his pulse pounds away, then moves up to his ear, whispering things that make him blush and smother a laugh, then down again to his collarbone.

A very loud yawn behind them alerts the two to the presence of another waking being in the dormitory. Sirius scrambles off of Remus, and dives into his own cot just seconds before James stalks between the two beds. Remus, on his back, eyes closed, a blanket wrapped hastily around himself, can practically hear the smirk on his friend's face.

"You two are horrid actors."

Sirius, forgetting that he is asleep, sits up, offended. "I beg your pardon!" He presses a dramatic hand to his chest. "I happen to be a brilliant actor, the likes of which the wizarding world—no, the whole world! —has never seen!"

"And hopefully never will see." James mutters, making Remus giggle.

Sirius either doesn't hear or pretends not to. He continues, "Besides which, I have no idea what you're talking about." He gives Remus an imperceptible wink. "I was sleeping and so was Moony here. Right, Moonsie?"

Remus cringes at the nickname but nods fervently, looking up at James innocently. "Really really." Sirius coughs in surprise as his words are thrown back at him—or at least in his general direction.

James rolls his eyes. "Of course. Because Moony always goes to sleep without a shirt and in his school pants. And Pads always sleeps in all his school clothing. But what's this?" James bends forward to look at Sirius closer. "A missing button from your shirt? And puffy lips? I got you this time Padfoot!" He crows.

"First of all, Prongsie my dearest, the button popped when I got in a fight…yesterday. Can you see Moony being so vicious? Honestly. And my lips are puffy because I was snogging Evans. Mad, that one." Sirius watches with satisfaction as James starts to look angry. "Oh don't cry James—"

"I'm not crying!"

"—Whatever. I was actually kissing…Peter." The three boys freeze in horror. Even Sirius looks shocked. "Ew. Never mind. Okay, I've got it. I was snogging my pillow—wait for it, wait for it—so I could do this!" With this exclamation, he jumps from his bed to Remus's and kisses him rather soundly.

James makes a smug sound as the two boys pull apart. Remus is bright red. "You could have just said so. Without the pillow bit. Night." And he goes back to bed, whistling quietly.

Remus punches Sirius lightly on the arm and hisses, "You plank! What if someone else saw?"

Sirius shrugs. "Who cares? I don't. And you're just as plank as I am, sod."

"Git."

"Wanker."

"Woofter."

"Pouf."

"Cretin."

"Edgit."

"Smartarse."

"Cunthead."

Sirius falls off the bed. "Where'd you learn that word?!"

Remus looks at him serenely. "I think you called James that last year."

"Oh. Creative. Plank."

"You aren't allowed to repeat!"

"Bah. You lose."

"What??"

Sirius grins and waggles his eyebrows. "What's my prize?"

Remus heaves a long-suffering sigh and shows him.


End file.
